Metal receptacle



Nov. 20, 1928.

' s; HAMMER' METAL RECEPTACLE Filed Oct. 19, 1926 Patented Nov. 20, 1928.

vPrvrlazNT OFFICE.

SAMUEL HAMMER, oF: BROOKLYN, .NEW YORK.

METAL RECEP'TACLE.-

Application filed October 19, 1926.

This invention relatesto metal receptacles,

and more particularly to mail boXes or receptacles `such as are usually provided in apartment houses, hotels and other large buildings for the collection of mail addressed to tenants residing therein,such for instance as is illustrated and described in my pending application filed- May 13, 1924, Serial No. 712,945. i

It isone of theobjects ot my present im provements to provide a part of the: mail box structure with one or more sl'ots therein correspondingto the number of tenants to be served and a name cardholder associated with each slot at the rear side thereof, and

the receptacle wall being provided4 with in# tegrally formedv meansfor directing a card sidelot1l the wall into said from the front holder.

My invention is more' particularly designed for use and application'i'n connectionr with that type of receptacle wherein* the receptacle is provided atone side ofthe mailreceiving compartments with a supplemental compartment with which' speaking tubes :from the several apartments' are connected. The front open side of this supplemental compartment is closed by' a metalpanel, and it is a further object ofV myv invention to provide this panel, in addition toy the' name card holding means above referred to with means for detachably supporting switch units operated by suitable push buttons'mounted in' the panell Whereby'the circuit of acall bell1y or buzzeris closed;v

It is a further important objectY of my' invention toprov-ide such name cardholders and switch uniti'supporting means" as 1ntegral Vparts of a commonl reinforcingfplate permanently secured toft-he rear side ot the panel which may be'fabricated' at relatively low cost and in whicli provision `is made for the application' of additional` switch units from time totime v Y Vitht'h'eabove andiotherobjects in view, the invention consistsint the improved metal receptacle and intheform, construction and relative 'arrangement of theVV several parts aswill be hereinafter more` fully described, illustrated in' the accompanying drawings, andV subsequently incorporated 1in thev sub1 joinedclaims. f. f

In the drawings, wherein Ithave shown oneY simple 'and' practical embodiment of' my Serial No. 142.541;

present improvements, and in which similar reference characters kdesignate correspondino parts throughout the several views,-

tFigure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a metal mail box or receptacle provided with my invention; Y

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation on an enlarged scale of the metal panel removed from the" box structure showing the form and construction of the name card holders andl the switch unit supporting means;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section' taken on theline 3*-3 of Fig. 2; v

Fig. 4 is a similar sectionalv view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig-2, and

o F igxc is a detail vertical sectiontaken on the line 55 of Fig; 2.

Referring in detaily to thel drawings, the body of the box or receptacle may be of similar construction to that shown in myy co'pe'nding application and is provided with the usual front plate indicated at 5 having suitable vertically spaced openings therein closed by the doors indicated at"6 and' 7 respectively, and through which thermailis a't'its` upper and' lower ends as by the screws i l() to suitable means'provided on the box structure. At its upper e`nd the panel 9 maybe provided with a: series of ornamentallyshaped apertures 11 therein through which the voice1 sounds may pass.

The panel 9 is preferably formed from sheet'brass, the front' surface'thereof being given a satinv finish, and for the purpose of reinforcing this panel, I secure to the rear sideA thereof the reinforcing plate gen-V erallyv indicated' aty 12 which extends slib stantially .over the entire length and width of saidpanel. f At its upper and 'lower ends, this reinforcing plate is-spot-welded to the panel 9 as'f indicated at?l 13 and" the' upper loo lllfi end of the plate is provided with an opening 14 therein surrounding the series of openings 11 in the panel.

Along its opposite side edges and extending the full length thereof, the plate l2 is provided with thc flanges 15 which project rearwardly from saidpanel at right angles to the lane thereof. Between these flanges 15 the ody of the reinforcing plate is provided with a plurality oit' equi-distantly spaced horizontal extendingr sections 16 which areintegrallyconnected along their longitudinal. edges with the body of the plate and are offset fromthe plane thereof, and thereby spaced from the rear face of the panel 9.1 Thesehorizontal sections 16 of the reinforcingr plate atY one of their ends terminate closely adjacent to one of the flanges 15,'while their other ends are spaced an appreciable distance from the other of the flanges 15,the intervening body portions of the plate 12 being cut out to provide the openings 17 therein.

The part-s 18 of the reinforcing plate l12 between the offset sections 16 which in egrally connect the side flanges with each other are each centrally provided with a circular o ening 19 and also with the rectangular s ots 20 laterally spaced from the flanges 15. The Jane] 9 is provided with a series of spaced iorizontal slots 21 corresponding in number with the number of tenants `to be served and through which the name cards of the respective tenants are visible, as indicated in Fig. lof the drawings. If desired at one end of eachV slot 21 a small opening 22 A may also beprovided in the panel through which the apartment number printed on the card may be seen. In spaced relation to the other end of each opening 21a relatively wide and narrow opening 23 is formed through the panel, the metal struck from the lpanel reniaining integrally connected with theouter side edge of said opening and being angularly offset from the plane of the panel to provide a card directing tongue 24. l

When the reinforcing plate 12 is applied tothe rear side of the panel and welded in connection therewith, by means of a suitable tool, circular openingsare formed through the panel 9, corresponding in number with the number of the slots or openings 21, and in concentric relation with theopenings 19 of the reinforcing plate, the metal at the edges of the panel openings being'turned inwardly over and clinched upon the edges of the openings 19 as indicated at 25 in Fig. 11 of the drawings, thus providing additional securing means rigidly connecting the reinforcing plate with the panel. When the reinforcing plate has thus been applied and secured to the panel 9, the free ends of the card directing tongues24 will be positioned substantially in the plane of the ollset sections116 ofV the reinforcing plate. It will thus be apparent that after the completely assembled box or receptacle has been shipped by the manufacturer to the user, it is not necessar toremove the panel 9 in order to apply t 1e name cards, since as shown in Fig. 3,7the end of the name card may be readily inserted through the opening 23 and then forced laterally, the card being properly directed by the tongue 24 into the space between the rear face of the panel 9 and the offset part 16 of the reinforcing plate, said card being securely retained or supported by said plate section 16 behind the opening 21 and ,held against shifting movement so that the name will at all times be clearly visible. It is another important feature ofV my present improvements to provideV the reinorcing plate 12 with `meanswhereby switch units for the o eration of electric buzzers or call bells may e easily mounted thereon or removed therefrom as required. The manufacturer' having ascertained the number of tenants to be served, cuts from eachpart 18 of the reinforcing late rectangular portions each having one oi) the lslots 20 therein and bends the same at right angles to the plane of said plateto provide the spacedarms 26, the said arms remaining integrallyconnected at one of their ends with the body ofthe reinforcing plate and being resiliently yieldable relative. thereto.` The switch unit indicated generally at 27 may be of various con struct-ions, vbut asherein shown includes an insulating body having projecting parts 28 y at the ends thereof of rectangular shape for engagement through the openings 2O in the arms 26. A spring contact member 29 has one of its ends bent and provided with openings. in the spaced parts thereof receiving the insulating bodyvof the switch, the said end of the contact being securely fixed to the switch body by theterminal screw 30. The other terminal screw 31 projecting from one side of the switch body provides a contact with which the free end of the spring `contact member 29 is adapted to be engaged. y For this purpose I provide a button 32 having an enlarged head 330m one end engaged `with the contact spring 29 and by which said button is normallyurged outwardly through one of the `circular openings in the panel 9. Thus,by pressing inwardly on `the button, it will be understood that the two terminals 30 and 31 are electrically connected through the Contact spring 29 to close the circuit;

By reason of the above construction, it will be `readily seen that the manufacturer may fabricate the reinforcing plates with a comparatively large number of the sections 16 and 18 and secure the same to the panels by the welds 13. As the ordersare received, the panels and the reinforcing plates may then be rapidly provided by simple addi tional operations with the necessary number of name card slots and switch unit supporting arms 26. The switch units need not be applied or mounted in position until the apartments are occupied, such switch units for the vacant apartments being contained in the receptacle compartment closed by the panel 9. These switch units may be easily and quickly mounted upon the rear side of the panel by simply spreading apart the two arms 26 in order to enable the projecting ends 28 of the switch body to be engaged through the openings 20 in the said arms. Also when an occupied apartment is vacated, the switch unit can be as readily removed from the rear side of the panel so that the signal device cannot then be operated by mschievously inclined persons.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, manner of use and several advantages of my present improvements will be clearly and fully understood. It will, of course be apparent that the name card holding means as above described need not necessarily be used in connection with a separate panel but might also as readily be applied to the tenants door 7 of the mail box or to a part of the front plate 5 of the box structure. Although I have found the reinforcing plate structure embodying the name card holders and the switch unit supporting means as above described to be capable of quantity production at relatively low cost and entirely satisfactory in practical use, it is nevertheless to be understood that the essential features of the present disclosure are susceptible of embodiment in various other alternative structures, and I accordingly reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the various parts as may be fairly incorporated within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. V

I claim: c

1. A panel for receptacles having an opening therein, a plate fixed to the rear side of said panel having a part extending over said opening. and spaced from the rear face of said panel, and said panel at one en d of said opening therein having an inwardly struck tongue constituting means for directino* the insertion of a card from the frontv side of said panel into the space between said plate and the rear face of the panel.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a plate having an opening, a reinforcing plate attached to the first plate, the reinforcing plate having a section off-set from the plane thereof adjacent said opening to provide a space between the two plates, said section being connected to the reinforcing plate 'except along one edge where it is separated therefrom to give admission to said space, the first plate having an opening adjacent the first opening with a portion adjacent the last named opening extending into line with said off-set section.

3. A panel for receptacles having a plurality of spaced openings therein, a reinforcing plate substantially co-eXtensive with said panel and secured to the rear side thereof, said plate having spaced parallel portions projected from the plane of the plate and in spaced relation to the rear face of the panel opposite the respective openings therein, and said panel having inwardly struck tongues at one end of the respective openings constituting means for directing a name card -into the space between the rear face of the panel and one of said parts of the reinforcing plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as vmy invention, I have signed my name hereto.

SAMUEL HAMMER.

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